(BPT) - A holiday gathering wouldn't be complete without a feast. Sharing a meal with friends and family encourages conversation and bonding, not to mention the opportunity to show off your culinary skills. However, it's important to keep in mind that large holiday meals can easily produce food waste.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans waste approximately 30%-40% of the food supply. When cooking for a large group - like a holiday feast - it's easy to overprepare and end up with more leftovers than you know what to do with.
This holiday season, don't worry about wasting food. KitchenAid - the #1 mixer brand in the world* - is here to help you turn your holiday leftovers into new tasty meals. Try these five creative tips that can transform the dreaded leftovers into delicious dishes.
1. A hot meal to warm your bones
Gather leftover vegetables, meats and bones and throw them into a Dutch Oven. In no time, you'll have warm soup or stew to enjoy on those cold winter days. You can also make stock that you can freeze and use in dishes in the new year!
2. Easy and hearty handhelds
Leftover turkey and ham make for a great protein base for quick meals. Whether you have sandwiches, tacos or wraps on the menu, repurposing your holiday protein can be quick, easy, and delicious.
Just choose your favorite or mix and match! If you have leftover cranberry sauce or roasted sweet potatoes, these can also be great additions.
3. Taters for breakfast
Do you have loads of leftover mashed or sweet potatoes? Use these tasty spuds to create savory twists of breakfast staples like pancakes and waffles.
Grab your favorite recipe and use your KitchenAid Artisan Series 5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer to incorporate these sweet or mashed potatoes into the batter. After cooking, consider topping with chives or even cranberry sauce.
4. Whip up a decadent dessert
Eggnog on its own is a decadent seasonal treat. If you have leftover cartons of eggnog after your family get-together, use your mixer to transform that eggnog into whipped cream.
This eggnog whipped cream will add a rich, creamy and spiced flavor to leftover pie slices - especially pumpkin pies. Also, consider blending eggnog into frosting to top any leftover holiday cookies.
5. Layer leftovers into a casserole
Casseroles are the perfect format for leftovers. Simply layer meat, gravy and veggies into an oven-safe dish, refrigerate and reheat the next day. You can even simplify the process by creating the casserole when you clean up after a holiday gathering.
Bonus! To make these and other dishes with ease, gift yourself The KitchenAid 2024 Design Series Stand Mixer in Evergreen. It's the perfect holiday appliance that makes cooking and baking simple and serves as an eye-catching kitchen decoration that you can appreciate year-round.
Follow these five holiday tips that will help you reduce your food waste and hopefully inspire you to create leftover dishes in the new year. To learn more, visit KitchenAid.com.
*Source Euromonitor International Limited; based on custom research conducted October 2023 for value sales (in USD) in 2023 through all retail channels.